Gone Today, Here Tomorrow
by Mike N
Summary: After the events of Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1, Kitty Pryde found herself lost in space, sacrificing herself to save the planet. Though they tried, the X-Men couldn't save her. Could the timely intervention of two X-Women rescue Kitty from her fate?


I.

Anguished screams stampeded through Rachel Grey's head.

Tearing herself from the tortured cries, Rachel sat upright with a jolt, the torment and hopelessness behind the screams still lingering. She shut her eyes, more to hold back the tears than anything else, as she pushed the abhorrent images of familiar faces contorted in unending pain.

"I—I'm sorry, Alex" Rachel squeezed out, barely keeping back a sob. It had been the same every night, since she had abandoned her teammates—no, her family. She felt that she deserved to feel every bit of their agony, and only regretted that she wasn't right by their side.

Slipping out of bed, Rachel threw on her uniform, the only clothing she had, and found herself storming down the hallway toward the back of the space cargo ship, almost instinctively dodging the low beams jutting from the ceiling. A sudden burst of turbulence shook the ship, but Rachel kept herself steady with nothing more than a thought. Effortlessly using her telekinesis, Rachel maintained her equilibrium and stride.

Within the next minute, she was staring at Korvus, the fire of determination burning brightly within her soul. She wasn't surprised to find him awake as well, probably having partially shared her experience due to their psychic connection through the Phoenix power both of them wielded.

"They're going to die unless we do something!" Rachel pointedly announced.

She felt her anger and impatience grow with every passing second, and as such paced back and forth lengthwise, the need to let off some steam steadily rising. Normally, a trip to the Danger Room would allow Rachel to recklessly wield her destructive telekinetic powers and subsequently calm her ire.

But in the middle of some unfamiliar galaxy, there was no place that Rachel could safely unwind, for fear of being caught by some advanced Shi'ar radar equipment. So, all she could do now is take her anger out on Korvus vocally. But so far, it wasn't working.

Korvus, a forced assassin of the Shi'ar turned ally, watched patiently as Rachel's temper flared. Not only could he see her face etched in a scowl, but he could _feel_ the torrent of emotions flooding inside of her. Though he understood Rachel's convictions, he was still a Shi'ar, and that granted him certain beliefs on the casualties of war.

Rachel stopped pacing, staring at the wall as if she could picture the rest of their teams' torture. "I should've done more," she whispered, emotion intertwined in her voice. "_We_ should be doing more now. Instead, we're sitting here, hovering in the middle of space, waiting for the _right time_."

Korvus shifted slightly and propped himself into a more erect sitting position. "You shouldn't feel this way."

"He's my uncle. They're my friends. How the hell am I supposed to feel?"

"They are warriors. We all knew the dangers when we stood against Vulcan and the Shi'ar."

"I don't need to hear that right now. Not from you."

The flare in Rachel's emerald eyes told Korvus that she was seriously upset. He decided to choose words that carried a little more compassion, though the concept was still new for him. "We could contact your X-Men. They would be able to—"

Rachel quickly dismissed his suggestion with a wave. "We left the X-Men. I don't want to get them involved. Not again."

The X-Men had been intertwined with the Shi'ar on multiple occasions, usually never ending on quite a good note. Right now, it seemed that Vulcan and the Shi'ar were laying low. Rachel's biggest fear was that the X-Men would leap into action and only make the situation worse.

She couldn't bear to see anyone else fall at the hands of Vulcan.

Rachel added, "And knowing Cyclops, they're probably entangled in their own battle for the safety of the world. He doesn't need the added stress of knowing we failed to stop Vulcan and half of the Starjammers are his prisoners."

"We cannot recklessly attack Vulcan, especially now that he has the empire on his side. If we do not regroup and increase our ranks, we shall share the same torturous fate as Alex and the others."

"I'm well aware of that," she sharply replied. She turned away, stunned by her own reaction and feeling of helplessness. "I can hear their screams. He's killing them slowly. And painfully."

"He will not kill them," he replied with such confidence that Rachel cynically smiled.

"Suddenly, you can read Vulcan's mind?"

"No. He's using them to increase his positive standing with the populace. The empire knows of the capture of the infamous Starjammers. Having them imprisoned has more weight with the people than an execution, only because of the long history. He will continue to parade them around as a conquest for as long as he can. Killing them too soon would simply make them martyrs."

Rachel crossed her arms, realizing that Korvus was trying to comfort her in his own way. "That doesn't exactly put my mind at ease. I just—"

A sharp jolt pierced Rachel's mind, causing her to cry out unexpectedly. She clenched her eyes closed, trying to shield herself from what she thought was a telepathic attack. But immediately, an image of Kitty Pryde sprang to life in her mind.

Kitty was struggling with all her might to perform some feat and had somehow cried out for strength.

"Rachel!" Korvus tried to leap from the bed, but staggered because of his own wounds. He made it to her side and carefully helped her into an upright position. "What has happened?"

"I—I don't know," Rachel responded, still reeling from the effects of the telepathic connection. The entire experience only lasted a fraction of a second, but she felt as if something monumental had occurred. And something terrible at the same time.

"You have been placing too much stress on yourself," Korvus gently guided her to the bed and sat her down.

_"Is anyone out there?"_

Rachel froze. The voice—it sounded like Kitty's. But that was impossible. She was back on Earth with the X-Men, fighting some new battle for the fate of mutantkind or something to that effect. Kitty wouldn't have been able to communicate with her unless…unless she was in space as well.

No, it couldn't have been her. Yet, she could feel her friend's familiar thought patterns, though unusually weak and fading quickly.

"Kitty?" Rachel responded aloud, startling Korvus. She closed her eyes, focusing her telepathy, augmented with the Phoenix Force, to reach her again. _"Kitty is that you? Where are you? Answer me!"_

Rachel immediately created a mental link to Kitty, a telepathic beacon of sorts to help her locate her friend, whether she was conscious or not. She felt Kitty's consciousness wane for a moment then there was nothing.

_She must have fallen unconscious_, Rachel deduced. Regardless, with enough concentration, she could still pinpoint Kitty's location.

Korvus, feeling the Phoenix Force at work within Rachel, asked, "What has happened?"

She shrugged off his concern, her mind totally focused on finding Kitty. "No time to explain. I'll be back."

The familiar blue aura of the Phoenix surrounded Rachel as she soared out of the medical bay to the loading dock. She telekinetically released the hatch, never slowing her flight as she tore through the vacuum of space. By the time the hatch closed, Rachel was much too far for the ship's radars to detect.

_I'll find you, Kitty. And I'll save you, just hold on for a little longer._

II.

Kitty Pryde found it becoming more and more of a struggle to open her eyes, let alone keep them open for any significant amount of time. Fighting against her weakening body, she managed to open them and found that nothing around her had changed.

The floor, ceiling, and walls still had no definite beginning or end, all melding together to make a hollow cylindrical room. The almost non-reflective walls of the foreign metal hadn't changed one bit, still maintaining its dull grayish luster, somehow continually reflecting a moderate amount of light, keeping Kitty out of being in complete darkness.

And though she was used to the momentum, she could still feel her prison catapulting through the seemingly boundless universe.

Originally intending to disarm the Breakworld weapon, Kitty phased herself into it and emerged in a hollowed out portion near the tip. It was then that both she and Hank McCoy realized that it wasn't a missile—it was nothing more than a bullet, set to tear through the Earth.

Realizing that she was the only one that had a chance of saving the planet, Kitty mustered all the strength she had and phased the bullet through the entire planet. But doing so left her weakened and trapped within the bullet, which continued unabated on its path.

Thought it seemed like a good idea at the time, she now realized that her sacrifice would end her life.

Kitty had long since lost track of time. She faded in and out of consciousness, only remotely aware of her hopeless situation. When awake, she thought of Peter and the rest of the X-Men. She thought of Lockheed. She thought of Doug Ramey. Illyana Rasputin came to her mind quite often. She remembered all of the people that had an impact on her life at one time or another.

And she realized that her sacrifice wasn't in vain.

Those people she saved would live on and impact others in the same way they had impacted her. But she couldn't be wholly content with never seeing any of them again, dying alone in space. There were times she cried. There were other times when she just laid motionless on the cold floor, waiting for the moment when her eyes closed permanently.

_"Is anyone out there?"_ Kitty directed her thoughts outward, with a thin thread of hope that someone would respond. But not to her surprise, no one responded.

She laid her head down, too weak to do anything else, and let her eyes close, positive that it would be her last.

III.

For at least the hundredth time, Illyana Rasputin wandered through the ruins of the Xavier School for Higher Learning. In her mind, she reconstructed the mansion the way she remembered it, both as a little girl and as a member of the New Mutants.

She once again restored her bedroom, imagining Kitty and Peter by her bedside finishing a warm bedtime story. Illyana saw her younger self hug the stuffed bear tighter, surrounded by the love of her brother and best friend. Wandering back into the living room, she couldn't help but to smile as she remembered Kitty's outrageous and childish outbursts about the Professor and being treated like a kid.

Illyana stepped into the dining room, where the large table was intact and topped with a huge dinner that everyone contributed to—a Native American rice dish from Dani Moonstar, some old fashioned fried chicken from Sam Guthrie, a unique vegetable medley from Rahne Sinclair, a Vietnamese steamed bun dumpling from Xi'an Manh, three fresh apple pies from Doug Ramsey, and various baked breads from Roberto da Costa.

Vivid images of her teammates surrounded the table, engaged in conversation and laughter. The scene before her faded, and she was left once again in the surrounding destruction.

_What happened here? Where are you? Kitty? Peter?_

Deep in her heart, she knew the X-Men were alive somewhere, along with Peter and Kitty. A part of her yearned to reunite with them, rekindling the human emotions that Illyana had sealed deep inside of her. But the other part loathed her demonic appearance, and she couldn't bear to face anyone in this realm with her current appearance.

She could have found them easily with a relatively easy spell or simply tracked them and used her stepping disks to their current location. But her hesitancy kept her from performing these simple tasks, and she found herself regretting this visit, as she had many times in the past.

Illyana opened a stepping disk underneath her and sank into it, re-emerging instantly in her research room. But upon entering, she noticed a faint image in the large mirror against the wall. Surprised, she approached it, and saw an image of Kitty's face, pale and sickly. Then her friend's body went limp and her head hit the floor, and she didn't move again.

"By the abyss! Kitty!" she screamed into the mirror. "No! It can't be! Answer me!"

But the image faded, and Illyana found herself staring at her own panic-ridden face. For a split-second, Illyana could feel her friend dying, a withering, deep pain that no one should have to feel—a pain that Illyana was far too familiar with.

No one else should have to bear that pain for even a moment. Especially not Kitty.

Illyana concentrated on her friend, and almost immediately, a circle of light appeared underneath her. She sank into it quickly, ready to do anything to save the life of Kitty Pryde.

IV.

Rachel tore through multiple galaxies, thankful for the Phoenix Force that granted her the power to do so. She wasn't quite used to the feeling of space flight, but right now, her mind was totally focused on finding Kitty.

The strength of the mental link she established with Kitty grew stronger, but at the same time, it felt as if it was continually moving away at an incredible speed. Perplexed, she poured all of the energy she had into propelling herself forward, the corona of a Phoenix totally enveloping her body.

Rachel knew that right now, she was running a high risk of being detected by a Shi'ar scout ship or some other alien race that didn't take too kindly to the appearance of the Phoenix. But she figured that she'd deal with it if and when that time came. However, she wasn't about to let anything stand in between her and Kitty.

At first, it appeared as nothing more than a small speck, but as Rachel sped towards the object and the mental link became stronger, she knew that Kitty was inside of this strange flying object.

_What the hell is this thing?_

Rachel couldn't exactly discern any distinctive characteristics of the object, except that it resembled an oversized bullet. There were no distinctive characteristics on the outside, so she couldn't discern where it had come from. But honestly, it didn't matter at this point. First things first, she had to stop the bullet from hurling through space.

Rachel wrapped her thoughts around the bullet and pulled against the forward momentum. But she severely underestimated the force behind the bullet. Though her telekinesis was strong, the bullet was stronger and continued to pull away from her, dragging her with it.

Her telekinesis was quite formidable—she was able to lift mountains with ease and stop a falling ton of bricks. But never had Rachel been faced with a momentum so strong.  
"Dammit! Give me strength!" Rachel screamed as the strain started to affect her body. She could feel her muscles tighten and her head throb, but she refused to let go. She continued to be dragged through space, the prospect of slowing it down becoming hopeless.

"No—Kitty—I won't let you go!" Rachel screamed through gritted teeth. Hot tears stung the corner of her eyes and her head felt as though it would explode, but she held on. She wouldn't let Kitty go the way she had let Alex, Lorna, Ch'od, and Raza go.

"I—can't—do—this—alone...someone—PLEASE!" she cried both verbally and mentally, sending a broadcast out across the galaxy. Though many heard the plea, there were none that could help.

Except one.

_"Rachel, you're not alone."_

The voice came into Rachel's mind, foreign, yet familiar at the same time. _"Who are y—wait, mother? Jean? It can't be. You—"_

_"It is me. Yet, it is not. I cannot interfere immensely, but your cry for help and Kitty's fate are something that drew my attention. I care about the both of you too much to let fate have its way on this day. Now, close your eyes and relax."_

_"I don't understand…why now? Vulcan…Alex and the others—"_

_ "I am well aware, Rachel. But my intervention is limited. Even an act such as this is risky, but otherwise, you and Kitty will die."_

_ "And they won't?"_

_ "That I cannot answer. But your battle for their fate is far from over. Now, I will channel my energies through you. Are you ready?"_

Though racked with questions, Rachel obeyed, slowing her breathing and letting her body go limp. _ "I'm ready."_

What started as a burning in the center of her chest and head suddenly grew into an inferno, and for a moment, Rachel could see the entire universe in all its brilliance. She could reach out and touch anything, and the power to create and destroy burned deep within her soul. Her telepathic abilities morphed into a cosmic awareness, able to reach out and touch beings that the Earth would never know existed. A fundamental understanding of matter at the sub-atomic level became clear, and she could easily manipulate those atoms as she saw fit.

The power was vast and glorious in its entirety, infinite and immeasurable. This was the true power of the Phoenix.

But the sensation quickly became overwhelming, and Rachel could feel her mind and body beginning to unravel, succumbing to the energies within her. _"Jean, I can't. This power…it's too much. I can't control it."_

_"Focus, Rachel. If not, we won't save her. Meld the energy with your telekinesis then stop the bullet."_

Rachel gritted her teeth, remembering the basic lessons of controlling her telekinesis and telepathic powers. She thought back to moving a small cube through a series of hoops only slightly larger than the cube, careful to keep the cube from touching the sides. The sheer finesse that was required to do such an act was needed here, and she tried to summon that same fine-tuned skill.

But her hold on the bullet was much too forceful, and Rachel recoiled. _"It's too strong. What if I destroy this thing with Kitty inside?"_

With the patience of a teacher, Jean replied, _"That's why we're going to do this together. We'll save her. But you have to concentrate."_

Rachel obeyed, again wrapping her thoughts around the bullet. This time, energy cascaded around the bullet, in the form of a fiery aura. Maintaining her focus, with Jean's aid, the bullet began to slow. The corona of a Phoenix became as bright and hot as the sun, as the mother and daughter duo slowed the bullet to a stop.

_"We did it,"_ Rachel let out a relieved and exhausted sigh. In an instant, the intense energies dissipated, the fiery aftereffect dying out with it. Internally, she felt the vast energies slipping away, and a part of her wanted it back. But the rational part of her mind told her that such power in inexperienced hands was dangerous.

She slowed her breathing, and her heart rate returned to normal. In a way, Rachel felt that she had lost the chance to change the cosmos in the blink of an eye. All she was left with was the shadow of the Phoenix Force that she now shared with Korvus.

Why had Jean come to her now? Why not when Vulcan nearly killed Charles or Alex? Why didn't she stop Corsair's death? And if she could do this, why couldn't she just come back and stop dying on them? Why couldn't her mother just be her mother, instead of the host for some cosmic being that none of them understood?

_"You have many questions,"_ Jean's voice still echoed inside of Rachel's head. She wondered if Jean knew about the questions that stampeded through her mind. But if she did, Jean gave no indication. Instead, she added, _"But I can't answer them. Just know that I won't be gone for too much longer. The Phoenix has some things to finish first. Right now, Kitty needs you. Alex needs you. Save them."_

Rachel felt Jean's warm glow fade then it was gone. She wished that whatever Jean had to still do, that she would ask for help, instead of doing it on her own. She resolved to later figure out how, why Jean made contact with her at this moment, and how to help Jean. Until then, she pushed it to the back of her mind and focused on the situation at hand.

Rachel floated over to the now stopped bullet and thought about tearing it open. But she thought better of it, as Kitty would be caught in the vacuum of space. She reached out and touched the metal, but immediately pulled her hand back, surprised by the burning frigidity of the shell and the unnatural feeling it gave off. It was almost as if the metal had consciously repelled Rachel's touch.

Deciding to take a more passive approach, Rachel closed her eyes and concentrated, anchoring her physical body to the outside the bullet, then projected an astral image of herself into the bullet.

She prayed that she wasn't too late.

V.

Darkness evaporated and the conscious world came into view, at first as a blur of color and dim light, sharpening to distinct shapes and images. And as Kitty focused, she saw a demon standing before her.

"Wha—" Kitty groaned, shocked but too weak to respond with more than a disoriented mumble. Two distinct horns jutted from the monster's forehead, normal legs were replaced with hocks and hooves, and a grotesquely long tail extended from its backside. The monster's eyes were nothing more than an ethereal, crimson glow. Yet…

Long, golden locks fell partially down the monster's back. The face, torso, arms, and thighs were that of a girl, appearing to be similar in age to Kitty. Looking past the monstrous characteristics, the human features became more and more familiar.

"Illyana?" Kitty managed to whisper. She attempted a smile but failed. "Am I—dead?"

"No," Illyana softly replied. It hurt her to see Kitty in this condition, letting her know that those emotions she had thought long-gone were still there. "I don't know how you got here, but I'm going to get you out of here."

"Thank God."

Illyana scowled. "I'm a demon, Kitty. I don't think God had anything to do with it. Now, let's—" she reached for Kitty's arm, but her hand passed right through it. She yanked her hand back, having forgotten the disorienting feeling of Kitty's phasing ability. "I can't teleport you like this. You've got to turn back solid."

Mentally, Kitty tried to focus her thoughts and solidify herself, but she just couldn't concentrate. Something that used to be a fleeting thought now seemed far away and impossible. "I can't…" she mumbled in response.

Illyana could hear it in her voice—Kitty was getting weaker by the minute. "Kitty—" she began, but was caught off guard by a sudden shift in the momentum of the bullet. She stumbled slightly, but regained her balance quickly. She mentally prepared herself for some kind of potential danger.

As if feeling Illyana's apprehension, Kitty whispered in response to the disturbance, "We're not moving anymore."

"We've stopped?" she asked. She hadn't realized that they were moving in the first place.

Were they in some kind of ship? Illyana took a moment to take in her surroundings, observing that the inside was cylindrical and smooth, the walls and floors melding together with no definite beginning or end. And there were no doors or any sign of a physical way in or out, which meant that Kitty phased herself into this—thing.

"What is this thing?"

Immediately, Illyana felt a strange shift in the air, as if there was someone else had stepped into the room. A partially transparent image of Rachel Summers floated down from the ceiling.

_"It's a bullet, meant to destroy the Earth, in a misguided attempt to save their own world. But they miscalculated the resourcefulness of the X-Men. And the willingness to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good. Right, Kitty?"_

Kitty gave a weak nod of agreement. "No other way to stop it…"

"An astral projection," Illyana clarified, surprised at the presence of Rachel Summers. "So you must have been responsible for halting this forsaken weapon."

Rachel nodded, _"I'm floating outside of the massive bullet as we speak, but I can't get through it at all. What kind of metal is this?"_

"Not sure," Kitty weakly replied. "I can't phase through it though."

Rachel quickly replied, _"That wouldn't be a good idea considering we're in the middle of some galaxy that I can't begin to name. How long have you been trapped here?"_

"Days. Weeks. Months. I don't know. I left my watch on my nightstand."

Rachel caught the hint of sarcasm, and smiled, glad that despite being weakened, Kitty still had her wits about her.

"If we can get her to solidify, I can teleport her back to Earth," Illyana explained to Rachel.

"I don't think I'm going to make it…" Kitty stammered.

"I can't take that as an answer," Illyana sternly responded. "Get up, and get yourself together, dammit! I won't leave you here like this."

_"Neither will I. We've been through way too much for me to let it end like this. Right now, you're deteriorating to the point that you'll lose all of your physical substance and simply dissipate into nothing."_

"Wow. Again?" Kitty said, distinctly remembering her severe injury during the Mutant Massacre, where her life was threatened in much the same way.

_ "Kitty, listen to me. I can psychically control your abilities, forcing you to solidify again, while blocking your pain receptors for the time being. But you'll probably have a headache afterwards. Are you okay with that?"_

"Headache or dying? You like giving me the tough choices, don't you, Ray?"

Ignoring Kitty, Rachel said, _"Illyana, as soon as she's solid…"_

"I shall create a stepping disk back to my homeland. She will be taken care of."

_"Now, Kitty just hang on, this shouldn't take long,"_ Rachel's partially transparent figure closed its eyes, as she also concentrated on the outside. Using careful steps, she took control of the specific aspects of Kitty's mind that allowed her to phase as well as blocked the pain receptors.

Kitty felt her body shift, suddenly able to push upward against the floor. But still her body was weak, and she could do no more than raise up to her hands and knees.

"Don't worry, Kitty," Illyana said as her eyes began to blow brighter. A circle of light appeared beneath them and they both sank slowly into to.

"Wait! Rachel!" Kitty cried.

_ "Don't worry. Illyana, she probably won't remember much of this. But let her know that I'll be back to see her. I have some business I need to finish."_

"I shall. But know that you have help if you need it."

_"Thanks. I'll remember that."_

Rachel's astral form dissipated as Illyana and Kitty disappeared into the circle of light.

VI.

Darkness slowly became light as Kitty struggled to open her eyes. She expected to see the featureless, metallic walls of the bullet when the world came into focus. But instead, she found herself staring at a normal ceiling. She felt covered in soft blankets and underneath her head, a fluffy pillow instead of a frigid floor.

Shifting gingerly, Kitty glanced to the right, and found a window with the curtains drawn back, allowing the warm morning sunlight to pour into the room. Her body rebelled as she sat up, trying to make sense of where she was. The last she remembered was talking to Emma before using all of her might to phase the bullet through the planet.

Had she succeeded?

Given she was presumably somewhere on Earth and not dead, Kitty could safely assume the Earth hadn't been destroyed. But how did she get here? Where was she exactly? And where was Peter?

"You're awake," a familiar voice with a hint of a Russian accent said from the doorway. Not believing her ears, she gazed in disbelief at the figure now in the doorway.

"Illyana?" Kitty felt dizzy and confused, positive that her previous assumptions were horribly wrong. "Am I—dead?"

"For the second time, no, silly," Illyana smiled as she carried a tray to Kitty's bedside. "I made a breakfast of blintzes, fried eggs, and turkey bacon. It has been quite some time since I've made a meal of this kind. I hope that you like it."

Kitty immediately noticed the horns, hocks, hooves, and tail her friend now seemed to naturally sport. She had many questions, but there was only one she voiced: "Aren't you—""

"That's complicated," Illyana responded. Setting the tray down, she took a seat next to the window. "Rachel Summers and I were able to rescue you from the bullet. I brought you back here. Rachel had to stay in space. She said that there were still things that she needed to do, but to let you know that she will come back to see you. You should eat now before it gets cold."

Though many questions were at the tip of her tongue, Kitty held back, taking the tray into her lap and partaking of the food. She voraciously tore through the meal, realizing that she hadn't eaten in quite some time.

Illyana watched as her friend took the last few bites of the food, grateful that they were able to save Kitty from her doomed fate. But how long would it be before they found themselves in another ill-fated situation? Would someone be able to rescue them in the same way, or would they succumb to death's scythe, permanently lost to those around them? She pushed these depressing thoughts from her mind, just focusing on the present situation.

"I brought you to my parent's cabin in Russia. I didn't know where else to go."

"Now who's being the silly one? You could've just gone to the mansion. Peter would be glad to see—"

"No!" Illyana exclaimed. "The mansion's gone—in ruins. And I thought you and Peter…I didn't know what happened."

"The mansion…destroyed? Oh, God, no," Kitty repeated as a knot formed in her stomach. "What happened? Where's Peter?"

"He's not dead. I can still feel my brother's presence in this realm. But I cannot understand why the X-Men didn't try to save you…why Peter didn't save you."

"They tried. He tried. But I had to do this. I was the only one that could. The X-Men know that. And Peter knows that."

"You fool!" Illyana shot. "How can you just throw away your life like that? You and Peter…you're all I have left in this world. Without you, I'm nothing but a monster. Look at me!"

"Illyana…" Kitty gently said.

"I'm not the snowflake Peter once knew and loved. I'm a hideous demon, the ruler of a realm of demons and monsters just like me. No one can care about a monster as horrible as me."

Kitty smiled warmly. "You're still my friend. And you'll always be Peter's sister. That will never change. Never. We'll all accept you, no matter what. And you saved my life at the risk of your own…you're not a demon, you're simply an angel that's lost her wings."

Illyana felt the hot sting of tears at the corners of her eyes.

"When I feel a little stronger, let's see the X-Men and Peter together. We'll find them wherever they are. Deal?"

Illyana smiled as a tear of happiness trailed down her cheek. "Deal."

Seeing Illyana's smile once again, made Kitty's heart glow. And she breathed deeply as she basked in the feeling of being alive once again.

End.

Notes:

Hopefully, you Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) fans out there enjoyed this story. I was a little shocked and disappointed at her sacrifice, and even more so that no one could save her. Well, there are plenty of Marvel superheroes out there that could rescue her, and this is my take on two Marvel mutants doing what others failed to do. Hope you enjoyed it!

Alex Summers (Havok), Lorna Dane (Polaris), Raza, and Ch'od were all captured by Vulcan and the Shi'ar in X-Men: Emperor Vulcan #5. In the same issue, Rachel Grey (Marvel Girl), Korvus, and Lilandra were able to escape.

Kitty's sacrifice can be seen in Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1.

Illyana's first visit to the mansion is told in X-Men: Divided We Stand #2.


End file.
